Imbolc - History
By: Sapphire Moon, December 1, 2009
 To fully comprehend the significance of Imbolc, it is necessary to be conscious of the life-and-death struggle characterized by winter in any rural society. Winter, a time of barren lands covered by ice and snow, literally holds you in its clutches. You have a need to sustain life in a time that is warmed only by fire, when food stores are low and the darkness is long. You celebrate Imbolc as the signal and the indicator that better times are coming.

The Crone months of Winter are departing and the promise of the Spring Maiden is around the corner. The days light is lasting longer. The assurance of the return of the light and the renewal of life which were made at the winter solstice are now manifesting. A time for celebration as farm animals are pregnant and getting ready to give birth, bringing new life and a fresh supply of milk (sacred food to the Celts) that will provide much needed nourishment to get through the remainder of winter.

As one of the great cross-quarter days which make up the wheel of the year. Imbolc falls midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and in many traditions is considered the beginning of spring. It's time to creep out from hibernation. A time for divining future weather patterns as the hedgehog or groundhog emerges to check his shadow predicting what the remnants of winter has in store. Consider this poem:

“If this night be fair and bright, winter winds shall blow with might
If this day brings clouds and rain, winter shall go and not come again.”
Author Unknown

A traditional time for new beginnings. Imbolc is a great time for “spring cleaning”. A good time to gather all the Yule greenery to burn or return to Mother Earth through mulch or composting. Imbolc is the time for preparing and blessing all candles to be used through the coming year. It can also be a time for blessing the seeds that you wish to plant for the spring. It's the time of germination, when we stop to consider the seeds in the belly of Mother Earth preparing to spring to life. Covens of witches usually initiate new members at this time.

In Ireland, this holy day begins at sunset on February 1st and continues through until sunset on February 2nd. Brigid, the pagan goddess of fire and fertility, is the traditional patroness of healing, poetry and smithcraft, which are all practical and inspired wisdom. As a solar deity (sun goddess) Her attributes are light, inspiration and all skills associated with fire. During Imbolc she is honored in her capacity as the Great Mother in relation to the coming into milk of the ewes.

Historically speaking, there are several different origins offered for the name Imbolc: from Ol-melc (ewe's milk) because the ewes are lactating at this time, from Im-bolg (around the belly) in honor of the swelling belly of the earth goddess, and from folcaim (I wash) because of the rites of purification which took place at this time.

All of these explanations capture the themes of this festival-- Imbolc: A celebration of Light and Life! 
Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to the North American Groundhog Day. A Scottish Gaelic proverb about the day is:

Thig an nathair as an toll
La donn Bride,
Ged robh tri traighean dh’ an t-sneachd
Air leachd an lair.

“The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground.”

Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival. Brigid (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) is the goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.

The holiday is a festival of the hearth and home, and a celebration of the lengthening days and the early signs of spring. Rituals often involve hearthfires, special foods, divination or simply watching for omens (whether performed in all seriousness or as children's games), a great deal of candles, and perhaps an outdoor bonfire if the weather permits.

You may also wish to read the following article from www.wichvox.com:
You Call It Groundhog Day, We Call It Imbolc - Author: Peg Aloi

St. Brigid's Day
In the modern Irish Calendar, Imbolc is variously known as the Feast of Saint Brigid (Secondary Patron of Ireland), Lá Fhéile Bríde, and Lá Feabhra — the first day of Spring. Christians may call the day "Candlemas" or "the feast of the Purification of the Virgin"

One folk tradition that continues in both Christian and Pagan homes on St. Brigid's Day (or Imbolc) is that of the Brigid's Bed. The girls and young, unmarried women of the household or village create a corn dolly to represent Brigid, called the Brideog ("little Brigid" or "young Brigid"), adorning it with ribbons and baubles like shells or stones. They make a bed for the Brideog to lie in. On St. Brigid's Eve (January 31), the girls and young women gather together in one house to stay up all night with the Brideog, and are later visited by all the young men of the community who must ask permission to enter the home, and then treat them and the corn dolly with respect.

Brigid is said to walk the earth on Imbolc eve. Before going to bed, each member of the household may leave a piece of clothing or strip of cloth outside for Brigid to bless. The head of the household will smother (or "smoor") the fire and rake the ashes smooth. In the morning, they look for some kind of mark on the ashes, a sign that Brigid has passed that way in the night or morning. The clothes or strips of cloth are brought inside, and believed to now have powers of healing and protection.

On the following day, the girls carry the Brideog through the village or neighborhood, from house to house, where this representation of the Saint/goddess is welcomed with great honor. Adult women — those who are married or who run a household — stay home to welcome the Brigid procession, perhaps with an offering of coins or a snack. Since Brigid represents the light half of the year, and the power that will bring people from the dark season of winter into spring, her presence is very important at this time of year."